boot Dusseldorf reports successful return
With almost 237,000 visitors from over 100 countries and more than 1,500 exhibitors from 68 nations on 220,000 square meters in 16 exhibition halls, boot Düsseldorf made an impressive comeback. After the pandemic-related forced three-year break, the entire international water sports industry met in Düsseldorf, Germany from January 21 – 29.
“Despite the difficult general conditions, boot 2023 has written a success story. We would not have dreamt of this outcome. boot has finally reached calm waters and is once again firmly anchored in its Düsseldorf home port. The successful comeback has demonstrated that trade fairs ‘made in Düsseldorf’ have an international appeal,” stated Wolfram Diener, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf.
“The visits to the exhibitors’ stands were incredibly good, viewing appointments for the boats completely booked and the companies reported a large number of boat and accessory sales. The halls were also buzzing with diving and trend sports,” boot Director Petros Michelidakis said. “Our crew has done its utmost, set sails perfectly and ‘sailed’ boot 2023 to the top of the international water sports trade fairs again. We are pleased that boot was once again able to offer the economy this marketplace and to present itself successfully despite the difficult current economic situation.”
In addition to visitors from all over Germany, experts from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, France, UK, Turkey and Spain used the trade fair to find out about the latest innovations in the sector. Numerous manufacturers and prospective buyers from the U.S., South America and Asia traveled to Düsseldorf again and enriched the industry get-together with innovative products, inspirations and in-depth knowledge transfer.
The international exhibitors are also highly satisfied after the nine days of the trade fair, as stated by Robert Marx, President of boot and Managing Director of Marx-Technik: “What the Düsseldorf trade fair organizers got off the ground here, smoothly following on from pre-pandemic times, is just great. With boot 2023, the trade fair company has shown that it has embraced the future and can also successfully navigate in rough seas. A big thanks goes to the Düsseldorf crew with its skipper Wolfram Diener. You have really done a great job.”
Speaking on behalf of the German Marine Federation e.V., Managing Director Karsten Stahlhut reviewed the situation in the industry: “Due to the on-going crises since 2020 and two cancelled boot shows, all of us started the trade fair with mixed feelings. Overall, however, for most, expectations were not only met, but exceeded in every respect. A strong boot in January is always an indication for a good year. I am convinced it will prove better than we thought only a few weeks ago.”
The new sustainability forum “blue innovation dock” at boot 2023 also attracted a great deal of attention, bringing together industry, politics and international associations for high-level dialog and exchange.
The next staging of boot will be held January 20 – 24, 2024 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Source: https://boatingindustry.com/news/2023/01/30/boot-dusseldorf-reports-successful-return/
